Italian utility Enel is preparing a Eu2bn retail bond to be launched in February and targeted at domestic buyers. Of this a Eu500m portion of the issue will be marketed to retail investors in the Benelux and possibly other European countries, bankers familiar with the deal indicated this week.

UK corporate issuers, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could gain access to up to an estimated £20bn of liquidity from retail investors once the London Stock Exchange’s new bond trading platform is launched next week.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp, the Philippine property development and financial group, is planning to raise around $200m in the international bond market and has picked a pair of banks to manage the deal.

Indonesian power producer Cikarang Listrindo showed the strong demand for high yield credits last Friday (January 22) as it launched a $300m bond at the tight end of price guidance despite weak secondary markets.

Kookmin Bank on Thursday became the first Korean issuer in the Samurai market this year, raising ¥30bn ($332m) in a two year deal that showed Korea’s finance ministry has softened its stance on overseas funding.

Unrated and crossover credits outshone more seasoned borrower Volkswagen Financial Services this week as the latest Eu1bn issue for the German carmaker’s finance arm, caught out by a weakening market, traded wider on Thursday afternoon.

Korea National Oil Corp delayed its plans for a Samurai bond this week in a move that bankers said was prompted by Korea’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MoSF), which is discouraging issuers from raising money outside of the domestic market.

SolarWorld, a German manufacturer and retailer of solar energy-related products, made its first foray in the euro bond market on Thursday with a Eu400m seven year deal. The issue was a rare example of an unrated borrower securing such a long maturity for its debut bond.

Last year’s frenzy for corporate debt was a distant memory this week as some of Europe’s biggest companies struggled for investors’ attention. Heavy supply from banks and sovereigns overshadowed the year’s first major corporate offerings, while aggressive pricing also contributed.

Banque PSA Finance provided the subdued European corporate bond market with its first euro issue of the year yesterday (Thursday). The Peugeot Citroën group’s financing division priced a Eu750m three year deal.

National Express Group reaped an impressive oversubscription for a £350m seven year deal on Thursday, which marked the unrated UK transport company’s first appearance in the bond market. The borrower, which bankers consider an implied triple B minus credit, attracted an order book of £1.8bn.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) added its name to the long list of Asian issuers looking to tap the international bond markets this week as it asked bankers for ideas on when and where it should issue its next deal.